Hep outbreak

[Guest guest]

<A

HREF= " http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20031114005809990001 " >http:\

//aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20031114005809990001</A>

Updated: 04:26 PM EST

Third Person Dies in Hepatitis Outbreak

By JOE MANDAK, AP

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 14) - Another hepatitis patient died Friday, bringing to

three the number of deaths from a hepatitis A outbreak linked to a Mexican

restaurant in western Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, the restaurant chain said it was

removing green onions from the menu in all of its outlets.

AP

A Chi Chi's restaurant closed after the hepatitis outbreak, but officials are

unsure of the illness' source.

The patient died around 4:15 a.m. Friday at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, the

hospital said. J & J The Allegheny County coroner's office identified him as

Spratt, 46, of Alliquippa.At least 410 people have fallen ill from the

outbreak, linked to a Chi-Chi's restaurant in the Beaver Valley Mall, about 25

miles

northwest of Pittsburgh. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, that total is believed to be the largest on record in the

United States.Jeff Cook, 38, of Alliquippa died on Nov. 7 of liver failure in a

Pittsburgh hospital. Dineen Wieczorek, 52, of Hopewell Township died in a

Cleveland hospital Wednesday night while awaiting a liver transplant, said her

daughter, Darleen Trunzo. Both Cook and Wieczorek had eaten at the restaurant in

October, according to their families.One person diagnosed with hepatitis A

remained in critical condition Friday and three were in fair condition at

Pittsburgh hospitals.

Talk About It

· <A HREF= " aol://1223:92056/aol://5863:126/mB:538146 " >Post a Message |

</A>Chat

On Thursday, Louisville, Ky.-based Chi-Chi's announced it was removing green

onions from all meals at its 100 restaurants as a precaution, although state

and federal health officials said they have yet to pinpoint the cause of the

outbreak.Pennsylvania health officials continued to interview each victim for

clues about how the virus spread. Pennsylvania Health Department spokesman Jay

Pagni said some of the newer cases may have resulted from people passing the

virus to others who hadn't eaten at the restaurant.Chi-Chi's has agreed to keep

the restaurant closed until Jan. 2 - two months after it voluntarily closed

following initial reports of the disease.

More on This Story

· <A

HREF= " http://www.governmentguide.com/govsite.adp?bread=*Main & url=http%3A//www.go\

vernmentguide.com/ams/clickThruRedirect.adp%3F55080291%2C36570995%2Chttp%3A//www\

..cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/a/index.htm " >CDC Information on Hepatitis

A</A>

· <A

HREF= " http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/healthwise/38/9446.htm?z=1678_0\

0000_0000_f1_01 " >Hepatitis A Risk Factors</A>

Chi-Chi's Chief Operating Officer Bill Zavertnik said in a statement Thursday

night that the restaurant chain was pulling green onions from meals because

they are ''the prime suspect of recent hepatitis A outbreaks in various other

states.''Contaminated green onions are suspected of being responsible for a

recent outbreaks in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee.''We have no

definitive

information that green onions were involved in this outbreak. But out of an

abundance of caution we have decided to remove this ingredient from our menu,''

Zavertnik said.Infectious disease experts say finding the source of the

outbreak can be challenging because hepatitis A has a long incubation period,

meaning the virus could be spread to many places before it's detected.

Pennsylvania

health officials didn't begin warning the public until Nov. 3.The disease can

be spread by an infected person who doesn't wash his hands before handling

food, eating utensils or even ice used in drinks. It can also be spread on

uncooked foods, like green onions. The federal Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention is investigating.11/14/03 16:20 EST